Concussions are a common injury with an estimated incidence of 600 cases each year for each 100,000 people. Previous researchers have found movement impairments in athletes following concussion which may contribute to the increased injury risk seen in concussed athletes vs. their healthy peers. Researchers have found athletes who sustain a concussion are at a 1.5 times greater risk of a future injury. Authors hypothesize this is secondary to alterations in movement patterns, neuromuscular control, and proprioception impairments found after this injury. A recent review of the research sought to determine the link between concussion and two common sports injuries.
Chou et al published their findings on the increased risk of an ACL injury or ankle sprain following a concussion (Br J Sp Med. 2023). They included 27 studies of over 1500 participants. As expected concussed athletes had alterations in gait, balance, altered mechanics during sports and landing tasks, and slower athletic performance after injury. These impairments were found to increase an athlete’s risk of a future ACL injury or ankle sprain.